Skulduggery Pleasant
by HyacinthiaPhoenix
Summary: Skulduggery and Valkyrie, the Skeleton Detective and his partner in crime, solve the most important of cases, keeping the magical community hidden away from the mortals. But after they arrive at a case that they can't solve alone, they end up joining forces with two English mages. Could this partnership save Ireland from the threat of the Supreme Council? Shippings: Ghanith ( OC's)
1. Chapter 1

A/N: So, this is my first ever Fanfiction, and i have to admit, i'm not too sure about how things are going to pan out, i suppose it depends on how many views i get. Or whatever. Anyways, this is a Skulduggery Pleasant fanfiction, containing two OC's. Enjoy :3

Disclaimer: I don't own any of Derek's fabulous characters, only my OC's.

"A school? We're going to a school?" Valkyrie asked incredulously.  
Skulduggery kept his eyes on the road and said, "I don't see the problem, it's just a school."  
"But it's a little kid's school! Why would you take a case where we have to deal with small children?"  
Skulduggery merely sighed and carried on driving.

Once they arrived at the school, they were met by a strange sight.  
"Where is everyone?" Valkyrie asked. The car park, playground and roads surrounding the school were empty. Valkyrie turned to Skulduggery. "I thought people _went _to school?" She smirked.

"They do" Answered Skulduggery, "But seeing as you've missed your education for the past eight years, you wouldn't know that." That smart remark earned him a punch on the arm. They started to walk towards the main part of the school, when they noticed another car. It was a Jaguar, and looked to be in good condition. "Looks like we're not alone after all" Valkyrie stated. Skulduggery grunted and they carried on walking. Once they arrived at the main entrance of the school, Skulduggery noticed two big metal boxes by the doors. He bent down to look at them, but just as he was about to turn them over, a voice stopped him.

"Hands off our stuff!"

Valkyrie and Skulduggery whipped around to see two women. Valkyrie let her guard down, as they seemed quite friendly. Skulduggery, however, kept his hand near his revolver. Both women were the same height, same build, and they both had the same startlingly blue eyes. One of them had chocolate brown hair that reached her mid-back, and the other had white-blonde hair, that bordered on silver. Her hair was shorter and reached her shoulder blades. Both of them were well muscled, and fairly tall.

"Who are you?" Valkyrie asked.

"I'm Amethyst Blade." Said the brunette.  
"And I'm Lunae Lumen" Said the blonde.  
They both had English accents.

"Lunae Lumen?" Valkyrie asked. The blonde girl smiled.  
"It's Latin for moonlight. I've always thought my hair looked like moonlight. It's almost silver." Lunae said.  
"Oh. Yes, your hair does look like moonlight." Valkyrie confirmed. "Well, I'm Val-"

"You're Valkyrie Cain, and that guy over there is Skulduggery Pleasant. The Skeleton Detective and his partner in crime." Interrupted Amethyst.

"Uhh…" Stuttered Valkyrie. "How do you know us?"  
Skulduggery spoke up for the first time. His hand was away from his revolver now. "Are you a sensitive?" He asked Amethyst.

"Why does everyone think you're a sensitive?" Asked Lunae, irritably.  
"No, I'm not a sensitive." Amethyst confirmed. "I just… I don't know… I guess you could say I know things."  
Skulduggery sighed. "You're just like Saracen Rue then I suppose."  
"Who?" Lunae asked.

"It doesn't matter, we're side tracking." Said Amethyst. Both Lunae and Amethyst walked over to the metal cases and opened one of them up. Inside there were bottles of strange liquids, syringes, a book about symbols and some chalk.  
"What are you doing here anyway?" Asked Valkyrie.  
"The same thing as you, probably." Said Lunae, flicking through the symbols book. "Assuming you're here to get rid of whatever has been running around and causing havoc."

"Why isn't anybody here? I thought this was a school?" Valkyrie asked.  
Amethyst laughed, and Lunae answered Valkyrie. "Um, people don't tend to come into school on a weekend. Not that they would even if it was a school day. Everyone is freaked out by this thing."  
Damn. Valkyrie had lost track of time, again. She really needed a calendar.

Lunae stopped flicking through the pages and left the book open on a page about demon sacrifices. There was a picture of a pentagram on the page, and she began to draw it on the playground with the chalk.  
"Demon sacrifices? I didn't think this case was going to turn into some weird Satanist act!" Valkyrie exclaimed.  
Amethyst looked up from her work with the syringes. "Well, that's what we're working with here. It's a demon. The only way to get rid of a demon is by sending it back to where it came from." She said, very matter-of-factly. Both women continued to sort out their weird demon sacrifice ritual, and Skulduggery and Valkyrie stood out of the way. "I'm beginning to feel like the third wheel. Why don't we just leave? It looks like they have this covered." Valkyrie said.

Skulduggery agreed and they were about to make their way back to the Bentley, when they saw a small girl standing at the far side of the playground. She was wearing a grey pinafore, polo shirt and white socks. Skulduggery turned back to Lunae and Amethyst and said, "Looks like we have company." Amethyst glanced over to the girl. Lunae finished drawing the pentagram and looked up too.

"Yep. That's her." Amethyst said. She opened up the other metal case and produced a sword, and two twin daggers. She gave Lunae the daggers, and kept the sword.  
"Are you guys ready to fight? This will be some battle!" Lunae said.

Amethyst gripped her sword and got into a 'ready to fight' stance next to Lunae, who was brandishing her daggers, which were crackling with magical energy. Skulduggery readied his revolver in one hand, and produced a flame in the other. Valkyrie also produced a flame, and summoned shadows with her Necromancy ring.

Yeah. This will be some battle.

A/N: So yeah! That was the first installment, i know it wasn't that long, but again, i'm not too sure about whats happening. If i get good reviews and stuff, i will upload a second part. And if not... well... i might just upload it anyway! Take that society!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Another chapter! I got so many reviews! Okay... I actually got one... but I'm sure I'll get some more! Right?Well anyway, this is a much longer chapter, and it has a big fight scene in it. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Derek's characters are Derek's characters. I only own my OC's.

The four of them stood there, waiting for the attack. Waiting for this Demon to strike. Waiting for the terrible battle ahead. Waiting for-

Nothing was happening.

Amethyst dropped her sword at her side. "Well, that's a mood killer. Why is she just standing there?" She said. Valkyrie sighed. Everyone dropped their hands at their sides and started over at the girl. She really was just standing there. The four of them began to talk amongst themselves, their attention no longer on the girl. Therefore they did not notice the grin that spread across her face. Her face was mottled with freckles and she had jagged yellow teeth.

When they looked back over to the girl, she was gone.  
"What? Where the hell did she go?" Lunae asked, picking up her daggers. Everyone scanned the surrounding area, but couldn't find a trace of her.  
"Nice job guys! Now we've lost her!" Valkyrie sighed.  
"Hey! Don't try to pin the blame on _us_! We were preparing the ritual! If anything, it was you and Skulduggery's fault! You're supposed to be detectives, why don't _you_ find her?" Lunae snapped.  
"Guys, let's just all presume it was _everyone's_ fault?" Amethyst said.  
"Whatever," Valkyrie sighed, "the main thing is, she has disappeared."  
"We'll find her soon. Even a Demon can't resist a fight when it sees one." Skulduggery stated, checking the bullets in his revolver. And not a moment too soon.

A sharp scream cut through the autumn air. Lunae and Valkyrie cringed, putting their hands over their ears. Skulduggery seemed oblivious to the situation, standing as he had done a moment before. But he had heard. He was scanning around, trying to find the source of the sound. Amethyst gripped her sword in two hands, breathing steadily.

The girl suddenly appeared in front of them, the screaming came to an end, and that crazy grin was still plastered to her face.  
"Oh, holy crap!" Valkyrie exclaimed. "I think I almost had a heart attack!"  
"You know, you shouldn't really scare people like that. It isn't very polite." Skulduggery said.  
The girl merely grinned even wider, making her look quite insane.  
"So… what's the deal here?" Lunae asked Amethyst, "What's her power?" Amethyst didn't say anything. She nodded towards the girl. Everyone watched her, wondering what power this demon would possess.

"Look at her sleeve" Amethyst whispered between clenched teeth. Everyone followed Amethyst's gaze, and for a split second, saw a tiny cockroach poke its head out. Valkyrie gasped. This was bad. She had always hated bugs.  
"Right. We'll subdue her, and lead her to the pentagr-" Skulduggery was cut short, as the small girl opened her mouth. A steady stream of cockroaches poured out and spilled onto the floor. Valkyrie let out a muffled shriek. Amethyst's knuckles had turned white, as she was gripping the sword like there was not tomorrow. Lunae let go a breath she didn't know she was holding in. The girl noticed their shock, and the stream intensified.

Amethyst swiped at the girl with her sword, but she ducked out of the way. Valkyrie could see the bugs crawling underneath the girl's skin, and it made her sick to her stomach. She sent some sharpened shadows speeding towards the girl, but the girl dodged; only to meet Lunae's foot in her face. The force of the kick sent the girl reeling, and she dropped the ground. Skulduggery took the opportunity and snuck is arm around the girl's neck, cutting off her air supply with the sleeper hold. She writhed and kicked, but Skulduggery wasn't letting go of her. She was going to lose consciousness anytime now… Well. She would have. If she hadn't sent a stream of cockroaches onto Skulduggery. They crawled up to his skull and went to his eye sockets. He yelled, and rolled away from the girl, releasing her from the sleeper hold. Valkyrie was busy torching some bugs with her flames, so she didn't notice the girl starting to get up. The girl grabbed Valkyrie from behind, and her sharpened nails clawed at Valkyrie's belly. Thank god I zipped up my jacket, Valkyrie thought, as she flipped the girl over her shoulder. The girl landed hard on her back, and growled at Valkyrie.  
"That was a nice-ugh- move!" Amethyst said to Valkyrie, whilst flicking a big cockroach off her shoulder. Valkyrie grinned back at her and kicked the girl down again as she attempted to get back up.

Skulduggery had burnt all of the bugs that the girl had sent at him, and was about to get up when Lunae came stumbling over him. Lunae fell, and landed right next to the girl. She smiled, and grabbed Lunae by the shoulders. Lunae cried out in surprise, twisted in the girls grip and brought a fist to the girl's face. The girl fell back once again, and Lunae stayed on top of her, making sure she didn't move.  
"How many bugs _are _there?" Valkyrie asked. No-one answered, as there was no answer to give. Amethyst pushed the girls mouth closed with her foot. But the torrent of cockroaches wasn't over. They began to stream out of the girl's nostrils, and all over Lunae who was on top of her. Lunae snarled in disgust and turned the girls head to the side, keeping the bugs off her. Skulduggery appeared by Valkyrie's side. He pointed to the girl. "Cover every place they could come from." He said. Her mouth was shut and her head was at the side, so the nose wasn't a problem.  
"Ears! Cover her ear, Lunae!" Said Amethyst. Lunae nodded, and pressed a firm hand over the girl's ear. She could feel the bugs trying to get out, but Lunae only pressed harder. The girl began to laugh quietly.  
"What? What have you got to be happy about?" Valkyrie asked, trying to see the funny side. There was no funny side. Only pain. The bugs burst through Lunae's hand, burrowing a giant hole through the flesh and bone. Lunae screamed with anguish and clutched at her hand. She rolled off the girl, her daggers clattering to the ground. Amethyst grabbed one of the daggers, and held it to the girls throat, grabbing a handful of the girls hair as she went.  
"You're going to be a good girl, and stand up. Your little friends aren't going to help you. Then you're going to walk over to that pentagram over there on the ground, so we can get this over and done with. Okay?" Amethyst snarled through clenched teeth. The girl nodded. She was actually scared.

They all walked over to the pentagram, including Lunae, who was cradling her ruined hand. Amethyst pushed she girl so she was standing on the pentagram.  
"Hand me the syringe containing purple liquid." Amethyst commanded. Valkyrie walked over to the metal cases, and took the syringe. She handed it to Amethyst, who jabbed it into the girls neck.  
"What did that do?" Asked Valkyrie, as the girl fell to the ground, unconscious.  
"Well, it made her go unconscious. Makes this whole ordeal easier. It also alerted the symbol you see drawn on the ground that this is the demon to be sacrificed." Amethyst said.

Lunae walked over to Amethyst holding another syringe containing a pale blue liquid. Amethyst nodded and crouched over the limp body of the girl, adding the blue liquid to her bloodstream.  
"What was that one for?" Asked Skulduggery. Nor Amethyst or Lunae answered. Instead, they stood back. The circle around the pentagram stared to glow a faint orange. It intensified and shot upwards. They were almost like flames. The 'flames' curled around the girl's body and went from orange to red, to white, and finally to the darkest of blacks. Then, suddenly, everything was gone. No more lights, no more pentagrams. Just the girl remained.

"Did it work?" Valkyrie asked curiously. Amethyst nodded, and she began to pack away their stuff. Lunae joined her, and bandaged up her wound, wincing as the cloth touched the raw flesh.  
"Is she dead?" Asked Skulduggery, placing his hat back on his head. Miraculously, it had remained untouched through-out the whole battle.  
"I should hope she isn't dead! That was the whole point of the blue syringe!" Lunae said, locking up one of the metal cases.  
"This girl was possessed by a demon. Her body was merely a host." Amethyst continued. Valkyrie looked down at the little girl. She had lost those horrible, jagged teeth, but her freckles remained. She thought they made her look cuter. Valkyrie tried to imagine if this had been her little sister, Alice, being possessed. She shivered at the thought of it.

"Well, I supposed we should get going then." Amethyst sighed, picking up one of the cases. Lunae picked up the second case, and turned to Valkyrie and Skulduggery.  
"It was great meeting the both of you. You're both very skilled fighters." She said. The two women turned to leave, but Valkyrie stopped them.

"Wait. Why don't you come back to the Sanctuary with us? Lunae, your hand could do with some medical care. And I'm sure the Elders and Grand Mage would be happy to have you, seeing as you helped us." Valkyrie suggested. Amethyst and Lunae looked at each other, then at Valkyrie.  
"Uh… Really? I mean… we're English mages, and seeing as Ireland haven't been getting on with England very well… Or any country at that." Amethyst said, awkwardly.  
"See, Valkyrie? They don't want to come. Let's go." Skulduggery said.  
Valkyrie glared at him. "Come on, Ravel and Ghastly won't mind! I can't say about Madame Mist… but Ravel and Ghastly can overrule her! Can't they Skulduggery?" She pleaded.  
Skulduggery sighed. "Fine, they can come." Valkyrie grinned and helped the two women with the cases.

He couldn't have turned them down, really. Lunae had complimented him, after all. And Skulduggery Pleasant was not the one to pass down a chance to boost his ego.

A/N: There you go! The second installment. I may not be able to upload very frequently, as it's almost the end of half-term (like, the day after tomorrow). Hopefully I can upload every weekend, if my teachers are nice and don't give me piles of homework! XD


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Another Chapter! I know I left it until the last day of the weekend, but my teachers were cruel and gave me a lot of homework. This included a Drama monologue to write and remember, and a History essay. Who cares if Haig was the butcher of the Somme or not? He's dead anyway…

Disclaimer: blah blah blah, Derek's characters… blah blah, only own my OC's  
(Read the previous chapters disclaimers for full details)

After leaving the girl on her parent's doorstep, Skulduggery led the way to Roarhaven in his Bentley. Lunae pulled up outside the ugly building and stepped out of the Jaguar, along with Amethyst.  
"Uhh… nice place you got here…" Lunae said, uncertainly.  
"Are you kidding? It's the worst town ever!" Said Valkyrie, shutting the passenger side door.  
"Don't let the residents hear you speaking like that." Skulduggery mused, striding over to the building. It was big, and grey, and ugly, and boring. The town wasn't any better. All of the other buildings were small and run-down. It was quiet, but with a sinister edge to it. Next to the big, grey building there was a stagnant lake, the water was murky, and Amethyst didn't want to think about what may be lurking in there.

They entered the Sanctuary and both Lunae and Amethyst were amazed by just how big it was. Skulduggery led them to the reception desk, and exchanged a few words with the Administrator, Tipstaff, before walking off again. They followed him through the corridors of the Sanctuary until they finally reached their destination.  
"Don't speak, please. They may not be happy with having two English Mages in the Sanctuary." Skulduggery warned, pushing open the door.

"Hey Ghastly, Erskine." He said casually. Amethyst was amazed that Skulduggery had addressed them so casually. They would never have been able to do that back in England. Lunae was more interested in the fact that Skulduggery had completely ignored the other Elder in the room. She was dressed completely in black, and a black veil was obscuring her face. For some reason, Lunae became intensely curious as to what was behind that veil…  
"Hi Skulduggery. And Valkyrie, of course." Ravel said. "How did your case go?"  
"Oh, well…this happened …and then that happened… it really doesn't matter." Valkyrie stuttered. "The point is, we met these two, and they really helped out." Valkyrie gestured to Amethyst and Lunae, who both smiled awkwardly. Both Ghastly and Ravel rose from their chairs to greet them. The woman in the veil remained seated. Ghastly shook their hands, as did Ravel. He flashed Amethyst a grin, to which she blushed. Valkyrie grinned. Ravel had always been a ladies man, yet he always tried it with everyone he met.  
"So you just came across these two beautiful young women whilst on your case?" Ravel asked. Amethyst blushed to an even deeper shade of pink, whilst Lunae simply raised an eyebrow.  
"What were you doing there?" Ghastly asked them, trying to steer the conversation away from Ravel's insistent compliments. Lunae and Amethyst stayed quiet, just as Skulduggery had asked them to.

"They were there for the girl too. They had it all planned." Skulduggery answered.  
"And, how did you know about her? Only the Sanctuary knew. It's been instructed that any trouble is to be reported to us, and solved by us." Said the woman in the veil.  
"That's Madame Mist. A Child of the Spider" Said Skulduggery. Valkyrie shuddered inwardly. Ugh. Bugs.  
"Let them answer my question Mr Pleasant." Said Madame Mist, coldly.  
Amethyst stared down at her shoes. Lunae's mouth was set in a straight line. She badly wanted to speak for herself, but she told herself that the time would come.  
"Well, Lunae and Amethyst… are not actually _from_ Ireland." Skulduggery admitted. Ghastly and Ravel simultaneously took a step back.  
"What do you mean, Skulduggery?" Asked Ghastly. His face did not betray his emotions. Lunae could only guess what he was thinking.  
"They _might _be from… England." Skulduggery said. He lowered his head a little.  
"England? _England?_ Skulduggery! You know about the Supreme Council's threat! They were probably sent here as spies! And you brought them here?" Ghastly raged. Skulduggery's head was now lowered fully; you could only see his hat. Valkyrie had never seen him like this before. It was like he was a school boy getting scolded for not doing his homework.  
"Ghastly, it was me who asked them to come here. Don't blame him." Valkyrie said, stepping forward.  
"Stay out of this Valkyrie." Ravel said. She nodded and stepped back to where she had been seconds before. Guilt bubbled up inside her. She wanted to shout at them, and tell them to back off. It had been _her _that had brought them here! They might not even be part of the Supreme Council! But she didn't need to shout this. Because somebody did it for her.

Lunae stepped forward, her hands clenched into fists out of anger. Amethyst tried to pull her back, put she pulled her arm away. "You know what?" She said, her voice rising over everyone else's.  
"I am sick and tired of people fighting and arguing. We're from England. So what? It doesn't mean we _like _what's going on. In fact we don't. We hate it. That's why we left England. They're acting like a bunch of immature school kids. And right now? That's exactly what you're being. Immature school boys, with their petty arguments over who gets to be in charge, and who gets punished. The "Supreme Council", and their stupid rules, trying to force us to do their bidding. Trying to force us to capture and kill Irish "spies". We have no quarrel with you. We'll leave you alone. We'll go back to our lives of being on the run from the English Council. Just leave us out of your stupid fights. It gets you nowhere. We came here to find refuge. Maybe to even help you out. But if all we get is discrimination, then I don't think I want to help you. I can't believe I felt sorry for you. Getting picked on by the Supreme Council. But it turns out you're _just like them._" She spat.

She turned, and left the room. Everyone had gone silent. Amethyst stared at the space Lunae had just left, and quickly hurried after her. The silence stretched on for what felt like forever to Valkyrie, as Lunae's words sunk in. She had been right. They were so busy with the Supreme Council that they had been consumed with their anger and anxieties.  
"Well." Said Ravel, breaking the silence at last, "It seems she may have been right."  
Ghastly nodded and sighed. "Skulduggery. Go, bring them back here. We may be in need of their help after all." He said. Skulduggery nodded, and gestured for Valkyrie to follow him.

It wasn't long before they found the two women. Lunae was leaning on a wall, and Amethyst had collapsed into one of the many chairs the Sanctuary had in the corridors. Lunae's eyes were closed, her hands still bawled into fists. Amethyst looked up as Skulduggery and Valkyrie approached. She made eye contact with Valkyrie and smiled sadly.  
"That was quite a speech you gave." Skulduggery said softly. Lunae jumped slightly, and her eyes snapped open. She relaxed once she saw them.  
"I'm sorry, I couldn't control myself." She sighed. Valkyrie laid a hand on her shoulder.  
"Well, it was good that you didn't control yourself." She said, smiling slightly at the quizzical look both Lunae and Amethyst gave her. "They thought that you were telling the truth. That you really aren't with the Supreme Council. And they want your help." Valkyrie continued.

Lunae smiled, and stopped leaning against the wall.  
"Okay. But only if we have a cool place to stay." She grinned. Valkyrie grinned back. Of course they would have a cool place to stay. What were they, monsters?

A/N: There you go. Another chapter. Please review and follow/favourite if you enjoy the story! And if you don't, follow it anyway.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: What's this? A chapter on a Thursday? This cannot be! You must be dreaming…  
No. I really have uploaded a chapter on a Thursday. Recently my internet connection in my house has been absolutely terrible, so I had the time that I usually use up on YouTube to write an extra chapter! Yay! Heads up, this chapter is more of a filler chapter, although there is content that is important to the story line. Enjoy!

And thank you to **Illiterate Cookie **for her constant support and reviews! Thanks!

When Valkyrie said they would have a cool place to stay, Lunae thought, she forgot to mention that is was AWESOME!  
They walked up to the front door of Gordon's Mansion, Lunae and Amethyst gazed around their surroundings with awe. Their suitcases trailed behind them, through the front door and into the hallway. Lunae grinned at Amethyst; they had never stayed in a place like this.  
"And you actually _own _this?" Amethyst asked Valkyrie. Valkyrie smiled.  
"Pretty much. After my Uncle Gordon died, it's been mine. And it was officially mine after I turned eighteen." She explained. "Although," she continued, "My Uncle still looks after the place when I'm gone." To this statement, Lunae and Amethyst looked confused. Hadn't she said her Uncle was dead? "What, his spirit protects it? I thought you weren't into that kind of thing." Lunae smirked, referring to when they had to perform a demon sacrifice ritual.  
"Are you talking about me?" came a voice. A ghostly figure appeared at the doorway of the living room. Amethyst jumped and made a muffled shrieking sound. Lunae's hand jumped to her dagger in her boot. "What a rude greeting!" The ghost exclaimed. "I hope you don't scream at everyone you meet?" It asked. Despite herself, Amethyst blushed.

Throughout all of this, Valkyrie was sniggering. Her Uncle had always made a grand appearance, to some respect. "This is my Uncle Gordon." She explained, smiling at him. Lunae frowned.  
"You mean… he's some sort of echo stone?" She asked. Gordon strode over to them, held out his hand for Amethyst to shake, thought better of hit and dropped his arm down.

After getting better acquainted to Echo-Gordon, Valkyrie showed Lunae and Amethyst to their rooms. They were both slightly disappointed when they entered. "I thought we'd at least get four-poster beds. They are _so cool_" Lunae said, zipping open her suitcase to unpack. Valkyrie smiled and said, "Well, I guess you could buy one of your own, only if you're going to stay here for a while." Both Amethyst and Lunae grinned.

They spent most of the morning unpacking, and getting settled in. They had lunch and Lunae and Amethyst had the honour of a grand tour from Echo-Gordon, who was most proud of his property.  
The day after, when they were all having breakfast, Valkyrie got a call. She left the table, and came back a few minutes later. "That was Skulduggery," she said, "he wants us to come in, we have a job to do. He's going to pick us up." She went back to eating her cereal, and Amethyst looked up from her toast. "Is it just us, or are we going to meet some other Sanctuary agents?" She asked. Valkyrie shrugged. "Skulduggery only told me that we needed to come. I don't think he knows what we're going to do either." She said. After breakfast, they all got changed into their "work clothes", which consisted of their battle gear. Valkyrie was clad in her usual black; with her special jacket which had saved her life more times that she'd care to admit. Amethyst wore black boots, black skinny jeans, a purple tunic and a black trench coat. Her sword was stashed underneath the coat, which concealed it nicely. Lunae wore dark grey buckled boots, light grey jeans, a blue tunic and a greyish-white jacket with buckles on.

Skulduggery pulled up in front of Gordon's Mansion, and everyone hopped in, Lunae reluctant to leave her precious Jaguar unattended. Once at the Sanctuary, everyone went into a meeting room, which looked much more like a lounge to Lunae and Amethyst. There were chairs dotted around the room, and a coffee table, with leather coasters. A coffee machine stood on a work surface in the corner. They were the only ones in there. "Does anyone want a coffee?" Amethyst asked, starting to go towards the coffee machine. "It doesn't work." Valkyrie said, slumping into an armchair. Everyone sat, except Skulduggery, but he didn't really have any muscles to tire. The minutes passed, and Valkyrie cut into the silence by asking, "I know some people may think this to be a rude question, but seeing as we're sorcerers, how old are you guys?" Lunae and Amethyst looked at each other, they nodded to each other and Amethyst spoke. "I'm the eldest; I'm seventy-six years old." Lunae nodded, "And I'm the baby of the family, I'm seventy-two." Valkyrie nodded. "I'm eighteen. Are you two sisters?" Lunae and Amethyst nodded together, it was quite strange. Valkyrie then noticed they have identical eyes. The same startlingly blue eyes. They continued passing pleasantries until the door opened and Ravel, Ghastly and two other people filed in. Before the door shut, Amethyst noticed that two Cleavers were stationed at the door. Was the meeting they were about to have _that _important?

Everyone was now seated; even Skulduggery took a seat, after Ravel insisted. "Right," Ravel said, clapping his hands together, "everyone is united at last!" He seemed too cheerful, it was quite off-putting. Lunae and Amethyst knew everyone around the table, except for two of the men that had entered with Ravel and Ghastly. One of them were well muscled and had blonde hair, the other had dark brown hair and was a little less muscled than the blonde man. "Ah yes, some of you have not met." Ravel said, looking towards Lunae and Amethyst, and then to the two men. He introduced them, the blonde man was named Dexter Vex, and the dark haired man was called Saracen Rue. Amethyst remembered the name from their first encounter with Skulduggery and Valkyrie.

"You are probably wondering what your mission is for today." Said Ravel, seriously. Dexter grinned and said, "You're being way too formal and serious. Lighten the mood for once!" Ravel also broke into a grin. "Alright. So basically, we know where Tanith is." He said. Ghastly produced a picture from his pocket, and put in front of Amethyst and Lunae. She wasn't sure, but Amethyst thought she saw sadness in his eyes. The picture was of a blonde woman, brown leather just about covering her up. She had a muscled build, and she looked quite pretty. "And this is Tanith?" Amethyst asked, peering at the photo. "Yes, she's our target." Said Ravel.  
"Haven't you sent agents to get Tanith before?" Valkyrie asked. Ravel nodded.  
"She… killed them all." He said regretfully. Lunae frowned. This woman sounded like a serious threat. "But… she looks quite… well, friendly I suppose," said Amethyst. "She doesn't seem the type."  
"She was a great fighter! She had a sword just like yours. Looks can be deceiving." Valkyrie said.  
"You sound like you know her quite well. Like she was a friend." Lunae said.  
"She was a friend, wasn't she? But… something… something went wrong. She changed." Amethyst said. Everyone looked at her. She really _did_ know stuff. Then Ghastly spoke up for the first time in the entire meeting. His voice was croaky, like he was trying not to cry. "She was a friend. A great friend." He said. Lunae felt the atmosphere change, and she immediately felt pity for Ghastly.

They spent another half an hour sorting out the plans. Ravel had said that they; Skulduggery, Valkyrie, Lunae, Amethyst, Dexter and Saracen, were the best people for the job. Amethyst felt quite flattered and proud that Lunae and she were being counted as one of the best. Once the meeting was over, everyone left, but just before they did, Ghastly said something. "If Sanguine is there. Bring him in. And leave him for me." His teeth were clenched, and so were his fists. Lunae watched as menace flickered over his face. He really didn't like this Sanguine guy.

Everyone was in the corridor, conversing about the plans. "This is exciting!" Amethyst said, animatedly. "We're going on a mission with these guys, it's just so cool!" Lunae frowned at her.  
"I think you're taking it a little over the top." She said, "But yeah, it is pretty cool." Lunae grinned.

Valkyrie finished talking with Skulduggery, and overheard Dexter and Saracen contemplating where they were going to stay for the following few days. She walked over to them and said, "There are a few spare rooms at my place, if you'd like to stay there." Dexter and Saracen looked at each other and Dexter shrugged. "Sure," he said, "I'm not going to pass down a place to stay."

Skulduggery took Valkyrie, Lunae and Amethyst back to Gordon's, with Dexter and Saracen following them. Lunae was pleased to see that her precious Jaguar had been left untouched, and both Dexter and Saracen were pleased to see well insulated rooms with soft beds. In the evening, after Skulduggery had gone, they all agreed that Pizza was a great choice for dinner, and ordered it straight away. It had been quite an ordeal, choosing which Pizza's to get. Some people wanted plain Mozzarella, whereas others wanted ones piled with meat and vegetables. In the end they ordered one Mozzarella and one Pepperoni to keep everyone happy. The doorbell rang and Valkyrie jumped up to answer it. She came back, her arms full of boxes. "They gave us free Garlic Bread!" She exclaimed happily. Everyone grabbed plates and ate.

"So," said Lunae after she had gulped down a mouthful of garlic bread. "What exactly happened to Tanith? And who is this Sanguine guy?" Valkyrie filled both Lunae and Amethyst in.  
"Damn Remnants." Lunae growled. "Good for nothing slices of hell is what they are." Dexter nodded in agreement. Nobody had anything good to say about Remnants. "This Billy-Ray Sanguine sounds like an idiot. But a psychopathic idiot." Said Amethyst. "I just feel so bad for Ghastly." Everyone nodded in agreement. A few minutes of silence passed. "So what powers do you guys have?" Lunae asked.  
"Let's make it into a game, to lighten the mood. We have to guess each other's abilities, unless you already know." Said Amethyst. "I think everyone already knows Valkyrie's." Valkyrie nodded.  
"An Elemental and a Necromancer. I obviously haven't had my surge yet." She said.

Lunae pondered for a moment, she had to guess Dexter's power. "Hmm… are you… an Elemental?" She asked. Dexter shook his head, grinning. Lunae sighed. "I give up." Dexter grinned even wider and said, "I'm an Energy Thrower." Lunae smiled at him.  
"That's cool! Now guess mine." She said mischievously. He stroked him chin mockingly, like he was stroking a beard. "Are you… also an Energy Thrower?" He asked. Lunae shook her head and giggled. "You'll never get it!" She chimed, happily. Dexter sighed and shrugged. Lunae giggled again.  
"I'm a Pyromancer." She said, and then she smiled at everyone's blank looks. "It's basically an Elemental. But I only focus on one element. Fire. I could never grasp the concept of the other elements, so I took hold of my strong ability of Pyromancy." She explained, happily.

It was finally Saracen's turn to guess Amethysts power. He concentrated, and then started to stare at her. His jaw dropped open slightly. Amethyst blushed. "W-what?" She stammered. Why was he staring? "Your… your like me." He said, simply.  
"What? But I thought no-one was like you?" Dexter said, confused. Both Amethyst and Saracen had the ability to know exactly what was coming, whether they liked it or not. Neither of them knew what it was exactly, but they knew their abilities were the same. Lunae could tell from the change of atmosphere that a strong bond had grown between them.

A/N: There you go; it may have been a little more boring than usual, so I tried my best to make it interesting. But as I said, it is a filler chapter. I am trying to get a Saracen Rue/OC romance going on, please tell me in the reviews if you think it could work! And also, tell me what other Shipping's I could do!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: The fifth chapter now! Yay! There's a lovely fight scene this chapter. Well, when I say lovely, I mean violent. But what's a fight scene without violence?

I found out my fanfic has over 100 views! This is incredible! It's even been viewed by someone in South Africa O_o. I'm just a little disappointed not many of you review! You can't hide now, I know you're there! You can even review if you don't have an account! So come on, it really helps me out, and gives my confidence a boost.

It had been two days since the meeting. The day for the mission had arrived.

Everybody was crammed into a black van; Skulduggery, Valkyrie, Dexter, Saracen, Lunae and Amethyst. Skulduggery was driving. It wasn't anything like his Bentley, but he still drove it well. There was a tense atmosphere in the van. Amethyst had a terrible feeling of dread and nerves in the pit of her stomach. This, she thought, is going to be big. After about twenty minutes, the van screeched to a halt. The back doors opened and everyone squinted as their eyes adjusted to the sudden and harsh light that poured in. They were parked in an abandoned car park, next to a block of run-down flats. "Yeah, this doesn't look like a shady place at all." Lunae said sarcastically. Saracen and Amethyst led the group to a nearby bus shelter, where they dumped their stuff. They were all dressed in black, mostly protective gear. Although it was comfortable, not restricting. Weirdly, Skulduggery was still dressed in his exquisite suit. But he didn't have his hat. He didn't want to risk damaging yet another one of his precious hats. They got out their weapons. This was an un-inhabited area. No-one was here to see this.

After half an hour, Amethyst looked up and peered towards the forest behind the flats. There was a stagnant lake next to it, not unlike the one in Roarhaven. Everyone else followed her gaze, and that's when it happened. A shadow whipped past the gap between two trees, so fast you would've missed it if you had blinked. Simultaneously, everyone sprinted towards the trees. Obviously, Tanith wanted the safety of the forest for cover.

Once they passed the perimeter of trees around the edge of the forest, everyone stopped. It was silent. Barely a minute passed, when a figure dropped down in front of them. She was tall, blonde, and well built. This had to be Tanith, Lunae thought. The ground rumbled and another figure erupted from the earth. He had stubble that covered his lower jaw, black sunglasses, and a smirk plastered on his face. Sanguine. Of course. Tanith straightened up, smiling with her black lips, the black veins distorting her pretty face. "Let the fun begin." She said.

She leapt at Amethyst first, and their swords clashed. Sanguine sunk back into the ground and erupted again in front of Valkyrie. She clicked her fingers and tried to burn Sanguine's face, but his straight razor cut through the air and she lurched away to avoid being cut. Lunae tore her eyes away from Valkyrie and Sanguine battling, and saw Amethyst's eyes widen. She had never fought someone this skilled before. Tanith smiled at the slight look of terror in Amethyst's face. Amethyst noticed this and refused to let this woman get the better of her. She blocked and parried, forcing Tanith back a little. Tanith looked surprised, but not for long. She kicked at Amethysts feet and Amethyst fell, slumping against a tree. Tanith stood over her and grinned. Amethyst looked up and tried to protect herself, but Tanith had kicked her sword away. She closed her eyes and readied herself for death… But it didn't come. Instead she heard a low growl. She opened her eyes timidly, and saw that Lunae had thrown one of her daggers at Tanith, in the hope of making her back away from her sister. Tanith had dodged, but she only just escaped the blade. Except the sharp knife had cut one of Tanith's locks of blonde hair. It fell to the ground, and Tanith leapt for Lunae. Amethyst scrambled to her feet and searched wildly for her beloved sword. Someone called her name. She whipped around and saw Saracen holding her sword. She breathed relief and caught it as he threw it to her. "Thanks!" She called, as she ran back into the fray, not forgetting Lunae's dagger. She threw the blade to her sister and they both rounded on Tanith. United.

Valkyrie and Skulduggery were busy fighting Sanguine. It really was annoying how he kept disappearing into the ground, and popping up again. Valkyrie had successfully burned the side of Sanguine's head, much to his dismay. He also had a gash on his arm from one of Valkyrie's shadows, and a slight bullet hole from Skulduggery's revolver, which had missed, but just about caught his leg. He limped slightly as he darted around, dodging flames and shadows. He somehow got through Valkyrie's defence and his straight razor slightly nipped her knuckles on her left hand. But his straight razor wasn't any ordinary blade. The cut would hurt more than any other. Well, unless it was a chainsaw. Valkyrie screamed in pain and clutched her hand. Skulduggery fired again and again at Sanguine. He miraculously dodged every single one, but as he sunk into the ground once more, one bullet found his shoulder. His scream was cut short as he was enveloped by the earth.

Dexter and Saracen had been watching the fighting going on, helping here and there. But most of the time they just stood there lamely, watching. But an unexpected visitor arrived, and they were no longer standing in the side lines. A darkly dressed figure came sprinting towards them, and they readied their weapons. But the figure didn't stop, and soon it came barrelling straight into Dexter, who fell backwards. He struggled to push the person off him, but in doing so he pushed their hood back, and the pale face of a Vampire was shown. Dexter jumped up, and the Vampire scrambled up from the dirt. "This shouldn't be difficult. It's day time. He's basically human, or the closest thing to it." Dexter said. But he spoke to soon The Vampire ran straight at Saracen, snarling, showing its pointed teeth. Saracen yelled as he toppled over, the Vampire tried to bite his neck. Dexter was about to blast it with a stream of energy, but instead the Vampire was blown backwards by a gust of wind. Skulduggery and Valkyrie walked up. "Where's Sanguine?" Dexter asked, helping Saracen to his feet. Valkyrie shrugged. The Vampire was slumped, knocked out from hitting a tree. "How was he… fully changed? It's… daytime…" Saracen gasped. Obviously there were things even he didn't know.

A low rumble shook the ground beneath their feet; the four of them looked around, but Sanguine rose up behind Dexter and slipped an arm around his neck, the straight razor pressed against his skin. Dexter gripped Sanguine's wrist tightly, and kicked backwards, his foot crunching into Sanguine's groin. As Sanguine jolted from the force of the kick, Dexter pushed the straight razor away from him, and slipped out of his grip. Sanguine was doubled up on the ground, howling in pain. Skulduggery quickly fired a bullet into Sanguine's stomach, and he was left immobile, squirming on the ground, un able to escape.

Tanith heard Sanguine's howl of pain, and dropped her guard ever so slightly, Amethyst took advantage of this and knocked Tanith's sword out of her hand. Tanith's eyes widened in surprise, and she dodged away from Lunae's dagger. She jumped up onto a tree, using her Adept ability to walk sideways. "Get back!" Lunae yelled to the rest of the group. Everyone stood behind her, and she sent a stream of silvery flames to the tree Tanith was standing on, the flames burned faster than anything any of them had ever seen, and soon the tree trunk was buckling. It fell down to the ground, trapping Tanith's sword underneath it. Tanith dropped to the ground unscathed, but un-armed. Lunae leapt on Tanith and knocked her to the ground. She held her two daggers to Tanith's ankles and said, "If you dare move, I'll cut your feet clean off." Tanith didn't much like the idea if having her feet cut off, so she obeyed Lunae. Amethyst walked up, holding a short, fallen branch. She lifted it up above her head and it came crashing down on Tanith.

Her whole world turned to black.

A/N: Yay! So they now have Tanith and Sanguine! I wonder what Ghastly will do once he gets his hands on Sanguine… XD

Please review, and thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Sorry I left this until later! I had homework (damn teachers) and I also have a music exam coming up, so it's practise 24/7 in my house. I hope anyone who saw the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary episode enjoyed it, I sure did!

And thanks to **PhobbyWriter **and **Naenae00 **for reviewing! It helps a lot!

So, without further ado, Chapter 6!

Ghastly sprinted through the corridors of the Sanctuary, leaving his eloquence of being an Elder behind him. He barged through a set of double doors to meet Skulduggery and Valkyrie, seated outside the medical bay. Skulduggery stood to greet Ghastly, but Ghastly had no desire to say "Hi". He had to see Tanith. "Ghastly, wait!" Skulduggery said, attempting to stand in front of him. Ghastly pushed Skulduggery away and went straight into the medical bay. Valkyrie jumped up, and they both followed him in. When they were inside, they saw Ghastly confronting Nye, demanding to see Tanith. Nye tried to tell Ghastly that she was in no fit state to see anyone, but to no avail. "Very well. Come this way." Nye said. They all followed him to an airtight door. Nye opened it up, and they walked into a room with bright white walls. Tanith was lying in a bed, unconscious and pale. Ghastly fell to his knees by the side of the bed, his eyes wide. "She is being kept unconscious until we get the remnant out. We can't risk anything." Skulduggery said quietly. Ghastly nodded slightly, and took Tanith's hand in his own. Valkyrie could tell that Ghastly's emotions were mixing around in his head. Sadness, relief, anxiety. She could feel it too. She wanted her friend back.

After a few days of research, Nye said that it had the solution. Skulduggery, Valkyrie and Ghastly were in Nye's office, listening intently to its words. He showed them a strange contraption. It was made entirely with glass, and the bottom part was separated with a thin sheet of very strong and air tight glass. "I am going to wipe Tanith of her entire essence. Her powers, her skills, her memories. Everything. She will be left as an empty shell." Nye explained. Ghastly's hands were bawled into fists. "You can't do that." He said between gritted teeth. Nye looked at him.  
"It's the only thing that will work. Or do you want the remnant to stay in her body?" Nye asked, towering over Ghastly. Skulduggery laid a hand on Ghastly's shoulder. "Nye knows how to do it. We'll get her back." He said softly. Ghastly relaxed and they listened to the rest of Nye's plan.

"Her essence will be trapped in the upper part of this container," Nye said, pointing to the glass bottle-like thing. "The Remnant will notice it is occupying an empty body, and escape from it. The container will be in the room with it, acting as a separate human being. A different life-form. This is why it is immensely important that nothing else is in the room. We don't want it flitting into one of us. So, the Remnant will be fooled into thinking that the container is a person, and attempt to flit into it. But the only way in is through here." Nye pointed to the bottom of the container. "And it will be trapped as soon as it enters. Her essence will be perfectly safe, and transferred back to her as quickly as possible." Everyone stared at Nye in awe. The plan was perfectly logical. How could they not have thought of this before?

They stood in a darkened room, staring intently through a one-way sheet of glass. The contraption was hung from the ceiling, Tanith's essence trapped in the upper part. Ever so slowly, a sliver of darkness flitted out of Tanith's body. It wandered around the room for a while, as if checking out its surroundings. Then it noticed the capsule. It swirled around it a couple of times before stopping. It hovered there for ages. Not moving. Suddenly, it darted into the lower part of the contraption, trying to feed on Tanith's essence. But it couldn't. When it realised that there was no way of getting into the upper part, it tried to escape. But of course, thanks to Nye's engineering, it couldn't. It was trapped forevermore. Nye opened the door to Tanith's room, and took the container from the ceiling. He returned Tanith's essence to her body, and Valkyrie felt an immense wave of joy and relief wash over her. It was done. They had Tanith back.  
"Now of course, we must move her from this room into a bed of her own. She must stay under constant supervision, to regularly check her and make sure there are not any dire affects." Nye said. It was about to wheel her bed out, when Ghastly stepped in, and lifted her out of her bed. She breathed lightly as he took her back into the medical bay. He placed her in one of the beds and tucked her in, as if she was the most fragile thing in the world. Valkyrie smiled at them. This was the moment Ghastly had been waiting for.

Skulduggery drove Valkyrie back to Gordon's Mansion. They were quiet for most of the journey, but as they were nearing the estate, Skulduggery spoke up. "Tanith is going to remember everything since the Remnant got inside her." He said quietly. Valkyrie's heart fell. It's not like she hadn't been thinking the exact same thing, but to hear it from someone else made it so much more real. "I know." Valkyrie said. It was almost a whisper. She sounded so feeble. "She'll know… all about Darquesse. About me." Skulduggery assured her that they would find a way to sort this out. Valkyrie half listened to him. His words were dull to her ears. He brain was whirring, trying to make sense of the situation. All Valkyrie could hear was… _her._ Her voice, echoing around her head.  
_They'll hate you. When they find out. She will tell them. She knows what you're capable of. What I'm capable of.  
_Shut up. It's not me they'll hate. It's you. Everyone hates you. Not me.  
_But you like me, don't you? I've saved your life more times than you care to admit. You love to sink into the power. Embrace the darkness. Let me take over. It'll only be easier if you let go. I don't want to force you.  
_No. I will never give in. I will never step down. You can't take over my life. The fact that Tanith knows is nothing. Skulduggery and I… we will face it.  
_But what if the skeleton isn't there to save you? He will let you down eventually. Then I will rise. I will take over._

Valkyrie waved goodbye to Skulduggery, and entered the Mansion. She noticed Lunae say "Hi!" to her. She noticed them ask if she was okay. She didn't say a word. She walked up to her bedroom, and lay down on the bed. The afternoon passed in what felt like seconds to Valkyrie. Amethyst came in and asked if she was coming down for dinner. Valkyrie refused, and said that she was tired and just wanted to sleep. This was a lie of course. Her stomach rumbled in protest but she ignored it, and continued to just lie on her bed, thinking. She knew she wasn't going to sleep that night. She had never slept that well ever since Darquesse came.

"What's up with Valkyrie?" Lunae asked. They had ordered Chinese food for dinner, and Amethyst had tried to get Valkyrie to come down and eat, but she had refused. Amethyst shook her head, and rolled up her duck pancake. "It has to be something big. I've never known anybody to pass on eating Chinese food." She said. Lunae laughed lightly at this and tucked into a spring roll.  
"But it's great news about Tanith! We'll finally be able to meet the Tanith everyone loves!" Amethyst said happily. Lunae looked up from her plate and frowned. She swallowed her mouthful of food and said, "How the hell did you know that they had solved it?" Amethyst grinned, and tapped the side of her nose. Lunae rolled her eyes, and laughed.

A/N: There you go! We have Tanith back, and there will most definitely be some Ghanith going on! I hope you enjoyed this chapter; again sorry it's a bit late. Please review!


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Chapter 7; an inset day to get creative! I don't have a lot to say, so enjoy the chapter!

Thanks to **Illiterate Cookie **and **Naenae00 **for reviewing the last chapter!

Also, thanks to **Belladonna Mysterium **for proof-reading this chapter, as I know I sometimes make mistakes!

Valkyrie awoke to the harsh light of the sun pouring into her bedroom. Someone had obviously opened the curtains, and pinned them back. As her eyes adjusted, Valkyrie checked her clock. It read quarter past eleven. Wow. She really had slept in. Valkyrie was surprised that she had even gotten to sleep last night. Darquesse was keeping quiet, for now. She got out of bed and changed into some comfy clothes. It was her day off, and she didn't anticipate getting attacked today. Hopefully she could spend the day with Lunae and Amethyst. Valkyrie sauntered downstairs and saw Lunae in the living room. She was flicking through a magazine and scrunching her nose at almost every page. Lunae sighed and threw it down onto a giant pile of other inadequate magazines. She looked up and saw Valkyrie. Her face immediately broke into a smile. "Hey! I was beginning to think you were never going to get out of that bed!" She said.  
"Well, sorry to disappoint you. What's up with that pile?" Valkyrie asked, pointing towards the hoard of magazines.  
"All of your magazines suck. Do you have any comic books?" She asked hopefully. Valkyrie shook her head and Lunae sighed. "I am _very _disappointed in you." She said sarcastically. Valkyrie laughed, but stopped when they heard a loud clattering from the hallway.

Both Lunae and Valkyrie darted out of the room to see Amethyst putting the coat stand straight and attempting to leave the house un-noticed. Lunae folded her arms. "What _are_ you doing?" Lunae asked sceptically. Amethyst stopped in the doorway, and slumped a little. She had been caught. She turned around and shut the front door, a sheepish look on her face. "I'm… just popping out!" She said, gesturing to the door. Lunae raised an eyebrow, while Valkyrie said, "Really? It sounded as if you were fighting the coat stand." Amethyst blushed. Lunae had never seen her sister act so awkward before. Or, very rarely. This just _had_ to be about somebody else. "Who are you going to see?" She asked. Amethyst blushed to an even deeper shade of pink. Valkyrie laughed.  
"Are you going to see a boy?" She asked, sniggering slightly. Amethyst didn't answer.  
"You are! See, you don't even deny it!" Valkyrie exclaimed. Amethyst gulped. She really was in hot water. "So who is it…"Lunae pondered. Both Lune and Valkyrie stroked their chins mockingly.  
"Is it… Ravel?" Valkyrie asked, and then burst into laughter at Amethyst's expression.  
"No… what about… Oh! Skulduggery?" Lunae asked. She kept a serious expression on her face until Valkyrie said, "I can't… breathe!" Lunae joined her in laughter until her sides hurt. She controlled her laughter and said, "Okay, all jokes aside. It's Saracen isn't it?" They didn't need Amethyst's confirmation, just the blush and they awkward smile on her face. "That's great! You two are cute together!" Valkyrie said, beaming at her friend. Lunae put an arm around her sister and said, "Alright, we've probably made you late enough. Off you go!" Lunae opened the door and pushed Amethyst outside.

Lunae and Valkyrie spent the day watching scary movies and eating junk food. They laughed at all of the jump scares; they had failed to scare them. They ate bowl after bowl of raspberry ripple ice cream, which happened to be both of their favourites. This had to be Valkyrie's best day off in a while.

Well, it was the best day off. Until someone kicked the front door down.

Valkyrie and Lunae jumped off the couch and sped into the hall way. Sanctuary agents were pouring into the Mansion, pointing every weapon they had at Valkyrie. Without thinking, Lunae stepped in front of her friend. "What do you think you're doing?" she asked, staring the agents down. Nobody moved. A man stepped through the agents. Lunae didn't recognise him. "We're doing our job." He said. "We've come to kill Darquesse, who resides in your little friend there." Lunae's heart plummeted. Valkyrie was Darquesse? They had been living with her… she could've killed them both! But… she didn't. Lunae looked behind her. Valkyrie was pale and scared. There was no way she could be Darquesse. And even if she was… it wouldn't be her fault! Lunae didn't move. Neither did anyone else. The screeching of tyres could be heard outside. Then the multiple slamming of doors. Skulduggery, Amethyst, Ravel, Ghastly and a shaking Tanith appeared in the doorway. They pushed their way through and saw Lunae protecting Valkyrie. Amethyst joined her sister and said, "I know about Valkyrie. Tanith… remembered. She blurted it out, it was her first memory. They… they want to kill her." Amethyst almost whispered her last words.  
"We're not letting them. It isn't her fault!" Lunae yelled at the agents. They looked almost startled that people were standing up for the girl that was destined to destroy the world.

Ravel stepped forwards. "As the Grand Mage, I order you to stand down. This girl means no harm. The only way Darquesse gets out is by being threatened with death. If you try to kill Valkyrie, then you'll be the ones responsible for letting Darquesse out." He said. The agents dropped their weapon respectfully. But the man who wasn't an agent stood his ground. "If we let her go, she'll destroy everything!" He screeched.  
"No she won't. Darquesse only comes out when Valkyrie is about to die. If we keep Valkyrie safe and away from danger, then we can avoid Darquesse for longer. We're improving the accelerator, somewhere for Darquesse to reside, and be harmless." Skulduggery said. Tanith walked forward on shaky legs, Ghastly was holding her up. "Valkyrie… can't help this. She… learnt her true name and… didn't want to be controlled. She did the smart thing and… sealed her name. But this meant that she could have complete control over her powers… that's what Darquesse is." She gasped, pain flashing over her face. Then man had a defeated look on his face. They had convinced him to not kill Valkyrie. Now all they had to do was convince everyone else in the entire world. Easy.

Ravel fixed the door back onto its hinges, and apologised profusely to Valkyrie. "These agents are stupid. They follow anybody with any authority over them. Like puppies." He said. Everyone spent the evening at the Mansion; Valkyrie didn't really want to talk to anyone, because she felt bad for lying to everybody. But she also felt a surge of pride inside her. They wanted to stick by her, no matter who she was or what she had done. She really did have great friends.

A/N: I sort of feel like I haven't done this chapter justice, but I couldn't find another way to get this done. And believe me, it had to be done. Seriously. Anyways, please review and I'll update ASAP!


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Chapter 8: We're getting more into the story now, it's an interesting chapter, I'll tell you that. I hope everyone is having a good December (depending on were you live, in the UK it is December now). There are only 18 days until Christmas! And it's also 6 days until The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug comes out in Cinemas in the UK! Can't wait!

And I finally have a follower! Thanks to **SilverWolf369, **You're awesome!

So, Chapter 8! Enjoy!

A few days had passed without anything big happening. Lunae and Amethyst had gotten settled in very well at the Irish Sanctuary, and they had gone on a few cases with Valkyrie and Skulduggery. Tanith was alot better now, and she was living with Ghastly in his shop. Saracen and Amethyst had grown closer togther, much to Lunae's delight. She had always wanted her sister to find love. She had been talking to Erskine Ravel alot lately, and Lunae liked to think that they were strong friends now. However unlucky she had been in love in her previous years, she was confident that she would find somebody here in Ireland. But of course, somebody had to show up...

Lunae and Amethyst were waiting in the Sanctuary with Skulduggery and Valkyrie, as the Elders had called them in for a case. Ravel came through a set of double doors, and was about to invite them all inside, when Tipstaff came running towards them. He patted his suit down, as his running had crumpled it. "There is somebody at reception, he is asking to see Lunae." He said. Everyone automatically turned to Lunae, and she looked awkwardly back at them. Who could it be? This was weird, nobody had come to see either Amethyst or herself in the past few months- why would anybody be here now? Despite her confusion, she followed Tipstaff to the reception. For some reason, everyone else followed too. Even Ghastly had left the meeting room to see what was happening. Once they had reached the reception desk, they all saw a man leaning against the desk. Lunae stopped in her tracks.

He was a tall, and well muscled man, with dark brown hair and emerald green eyes. He was fairly good looking, and he was wearing a good scent. Despite his good stature and the fact that he was attractive, there was a certain air about him. Cunning and spite, mixed with some abuse. Lunae stood there for an age, just staring at the guy. Then he turned around, saw the big group of people and grinned. He saw Lunae. And his smile grew even wider. "Hey baby!" He said, sauntering over to Lunae. He snaked an arm around her waist. She slapped his arm away and stepped out of his reach. "Hey, what's wrong?" the man said, holding his arms out to hug her. She looked at him with the coldest stare any of them had ever seen, her lips curled in distaste. "I think that she doesn't really want to see you." Ravel said, stepping out of the crowd. The man looked at him and strode towards Ravel. Ravel was taller than him, yet he still acted tough and arrogant. "Oh yeah? And what would you know about it?" He asked. Ravel stayed calm and answered. "We're good friends. And I think the look of detest on her face says it all." The man stepped even closer to Ravel, they were almost chest to chest. He snarled in Ravel's face and raised his fist. Ravel got ready to defend himself. "Stop being an arrogant ass." Lunae said, a look of contempt on her face. The man turned to look at Lunae. "Don't offend me Lunae. You know what happens when I get angry, don't you?" He said. Lunae continued to stare him down.  
"I know perfectly well what used to happen when you got angry. But I'm going to offend you nonetheless. Because I know I'm alot stronger than you now, and if you dare lay a finger on me, you'll be sorry. Even if I don't hurt you, my friends will. Oh but you probably don't know what it's like to have friends do you? You bully people into being 'friends' with you. I don't think you've had a real friend ever in your sad little life." Lunae said.

That had felt good. She had played it over and over in her mind before this, trying to figure out what she would do if he ever turned up. But this was the best way of dealing with him. Better than anything she had imagined. Everyone else watched the scene unfold with awe. Valkyrie couldn't believe Lunae would say something like this to a guy like that. She really did have some nerve.

The man snarled at her. She had offended him. He was angry. Lunae smiled sweetly at him. "Go on then. Hit me. I _dare_ you." She said. He raised his fist and it whistled through the air, connecting with Lunae's jaw. Valkyrie yelped in shock. "What the hell!" She said. Lunae clutched at her jaw in pain, but other than that, she had barely flinched. Was she _that _used to this? Ravel was grinding his teeth. "You shouldn't have hit her." He said. The man smiled at him.  
"Why? Got a crush?" He said. Ravel flew towards him and punched him in the face. The man's nose broke and blood erupted out of it. Ravel's cheeks were rosy from the attack, but Valkyrie could've sworn it was also out of embarrassment. Amethyst put an arm around her sister, making sure her jaw wasn't broken. "That guy is a complete ass. What the hell was he doing here?" Tipstaff was checking on Ravel, making sure his fist was okay from the contact. He worries too much. After he had double and triple checked that Ravel was okay, he spoke to Lune and Amethyst. "He said he was from the English Sanctuary. I don't know why he was let in here." Tipstaff said. Everyone was hushed now. "Yeah he is definately from the English Sanctuary. We met him when we worked there. I... went out with him for a bit. But as you can see it was a dead end. Worst mistake I've ever made." Lunae said, disgust in her voice. "He's probably here to bring us back. I don't know how they found out we came here. We had been travelling around the world since we left, and just recently came here." Amethyst nodded.  
"But they have spies. Very skilled spies. They could've easily spotted us here, or at Gordan's place, or maybe when we were fighting with Tanith." She said. Skulduggery contemplated the thought. "What if they saw you two when we got Tanith. And they know that the Remnant is out." He said. His voice was low. "That's stupid. How would they know you got the remnant out of me?" Tanith said. "They would've only seen you guys bringing me back to the Sanctuary. For all they know, I could still be a remnant." Skulduggery nodded his head slowly.  
"They did know that before. But it seems Lunae's acquaintance has fled." He said. Everyone looked around the reception. He was right. The man had gone.  
"And he's seen Tanith now." Skulduggery continued. "England will soon know that she is back. And you've killed their Grand Mage, Tanith. They're not happy about that."

A/N: I left it on a bit of a cliffhanger there, sorry about that. So the English Sanctuary know about Tanith! They are going to want some serious revenge. And that guy... I chose not to give him a name as I don't think he will appear again. He was a stupid, arrogant, abusive piece of crap, so it was good that Lunae stood up to him. And Ravel came to the rescue!


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: I'm really sorry I didn't update at the weekend! I was very busy, so I didn't have the chance. But I have done a longer chapter than usual for today. It might not be that much longer, but that's because I felt like where I stopped was a good stopping point.

And thanks to **Guest** who reviewed my last chapter.

They all stood in silence, contemplating what Skulduggery had just said. Things were just going their way, and now this had to happen. Fate really loved to annoy people, to give them hope and then just snatch it away when it's in their grasps.

What we they going to do? Skulduggery was right, the English Sanctuary sure were going to want revenge. "We need to get this smoothed out. We have to make sure Tanith doesn't get a punishment too rough." Ravel said, running a hand through his hair. He walked into the meeting room and everyone followed him, even though he hadn't asked them to. "A punishment too rough? She shouldn't get a punishment at all!" Ghastly said indignantly. Tanith sat on a hard backed chair and put her feet up onto the table. "Chill, Ghastly. I know it was the remnant and everything, but they have to punish someone. And seeing as the connection between Sanctuaries is already running thin, I should really take the wrap. As long as it's not execution or anything. That would not be good." Tanith said these words so casually- almost as if she were in deep trouble every day.

They were trying to think of someway to soften the blow on the English Sanctuary, until Tipstaff once again came running towards them. "The English Sanctuary wants to call you, on the screen… uhm… technology." He said, gasping for breath. Ravel looked around the room. His gaze lingered on Lunae and Amethyst. "You two should leave the room." He said. Lunae frowned at him.  
"Why the hell should we leave? We're trying to help you." She said.  
"I know, but you two abandoned the English Sanctuary. They won't like seeing you here."  
"We're part of the Irish Sanctuary now. And frankly, I really want to see the look on old Ode's face when he sees us 'fraternising with the enemy"-to use his own words." Lunae said. She had made up her mind and you had to be a fool to argue with her further. "Okay then. But do you know how to set this up? We don't use technology very often." Ravel said. Lunae and Amethyst nodded, and went to the screen on the wall. They plugged a few wires in, and set up a laptop, and soon they were ready to go. The call from the English Sanctuary came up and Amethyst clicked 'Accept'.

A big face erupted onto the screen, his gaze scrutinising and degrading. "Hello, Grand Mage Ravel." Said Cothernus Ode. "Hello, Ode." Said Ravel. Ode looked slightly offended that Ravel had not used his full title, however he let it slide. "Ah, and I see Tanith is perfectly well now?" Ode said, smirking slightly. "Yes, Nye managed to get the Remnant out. We're very glad to have her back." Ravel said. Tanith smiled slightly at the compliment. "Yes, yes, yes. It's all flowers and hugs." Ode snapped. "But there is the tricky issue of Tanith's little escapades whilst the Remnant was running around in her body."  
"Yes, about that… Well, we fully expect you to put her on trial, and subject her to whatever cruel punishment you think is acceptable. However, as we may expect you to do this, we don't agree to it. So any letter of summons will be rejected and sent back to you with a rude comment." Ravel said. Lunae sniggered at this comment, but unfortunately Ode heard her and cast his gaze upon the sisters. Lunae's smile dropped from her face very quickly, only to be replaced with a serious and innocent expression. "Lunae Lumen and Amethyst Blade. I see you're fraternising with the enemy?" Ode said, perfectly repeating Lunae's earlier comment. Lunae took the chance to quickly smirk at Ravel, but then set her attention back onto Ode. "Well you see, Ode, we didn't much like the Supreme Council's way of thinking. Hounding down upon one Sanctuary alone is… well… unfair, really." Lunae said, keeping her tone level. "Yep. We like it here in Ireland much better than England. You know the pollution has corrupted less of the land than in England." Amethyst said, quite clearly taunting Ode.  
"I see. As you like Ireland so much, I'm sure you'll be happy with us locking up your family. After all, they are in England; as you don't give a toss about that now do you?" Ode said, smirking at the look of horror and annoyance on the sister's faces. "You can't do that! They've done nothing wrong!" Lunae said; her tone no longer steady.  
"Oh, but I can. You see, unlike you, I'm very important when it comes to the running of England. But what are you two good for in Ireland? Catching baddies that put graffiti on the walls?" Ode smirked. Both Amethyst and Lunae had stood up by now, their hands bawled into fists. "Oh, did I touch a raw nerve?" Ode asked, pretending to be sympathetic; his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"You son of a-" Lunae started, but Ode cut her off.  
"Now someone of such a low intelligence shouldn't be used swear words." He said. Lunae went red and restrained herself from insulting Ode back. Although Amethyst did not restrain herself.  
"Oh don't worry Ode. She is much more intelligent than it seems now. Your presence is lowering the intelligence of the whole room, as you are so important, we want to be just like you." She said innocently. Her heart beat hard in her chest. Wow, she thought, that had to be my best comeback yet!

Ode pursed his lips and looked coldly at the sisters. Then he looked at Ravel and said, "We expect to see Tanith and those two," He glanced over at Lunae and Amethyst, "at the English Sanctuary this Tuesday for trials. Tanith's shall decide her fate, whilst _theirs_ will decide their family's fate." With one last cold glare down his nose, Ode's face vanished and the screen went black.

/X/

The train rattled as they approached the station, trees whipping past the grimy windows. Ravel had told them to get on a normal train to look less conspicuous. Ghastly had insisted he would accompany them to the Sanctuary, as he wanted to be at the trial for Tanith. Valkyrie had said she would come to support both Tanith and the sisters, and that made Amethyst feel warm inside; it was great to have someone other than your sister look out for you. And Skulduggery was there just because Valkyrie had begged him to go. She had made the valid point that if anything got bad, he could punch somebody in the face. He really wanted it to be Ode. The seats were old and worn, but they sat down nonetheless. Except for Skulduggery. He wouldn't sit down because he didn't want to get his suit dirty. "But you fight in those suits." Valkyrie had said.  
"Yes, but I fight in buildings, or on fields, or in the street. My suit is not accustomed to touching dirty train seats." Skulduggery had replied. Valkyrie rolled her eyes at this. But he was very skilled at standing without falling over when the train jerked to a stop. Although he was probably manipulating the air to keep him upright.

They stepped onto the busy train station, and made for the escalator, getting bumped and nudged by fast paced businessmen. They walked through busy streets, and then deserted alleyways, until they reached the English Sanctuary. It was a grand building, that was for sure. Nothing like the grey, ugly building that they had left back in Roarhaven. Nerves bubbled up inside the sisters and Tanith. They were sure that they were not going to be forgiving.

The Administrator led them to a waiting room, where they stayed for what felt like an age. "They do this on purpose, you know. They're actually all set up and ready to put you on trial, but they make you wait to make you feel more uncomfortable." Amethyst said. Eventually the Administrator came into the room and led Tanith into the Trial Room. Ghastly followed suit, along with Valkyrie and Skulduggery to watch in the stands. Amethyst and Lunae were told to wait, they were 'not allowed' to watch the trial; on order from Ode. "Well you can already tell he's in a good mood today." Lunae grumbled, slumped back in a chair. They could only wait now.

/X/

It was halfway through Tanith's trial, and nothing had really happened. They had told Tanith everything they were charging her for, even though it was pointless. She could remember what she had done as a Remnant; she didn't need these people to tell her. "Tanith Low, do you plead Guilty or Not guilty?" Ode asked. Tanith looked into Ode's face. He was going to charge her either way, so it was best to look innocent. "Not Guilty." She said. There was a small commotion in the stands, as people scoffed at her plea. "Not guilty? She must be mad!" Tanith heard one of them say.  
"No I am not mad. I've had a Remnant running around my body for the past three years. Give or take." Tanith said.  
"You will not speak unless spoken to." Ode said.  
"Well, he sort of was talking about me so I guess that kind of counts, right?" Tanith said back.  
"What did I just say? You must not speak unless spoken to!" Ode repeated.  
"Well you kind of did speak to me. You did just then too, so I'm technically sticking to the rules."  
Ode looked furious. Ghastly was laughing slightly. Even when facing a trial, Tanith was as rude and cheeky as ever.

"We'll just skip the jury's opinion then. Tanith Low, you are Guilty. You are responsible for the death of multiple agents, and the previous Grand Mage; may he rest in peace." Ode said, shuffling his papers. "You will be punished accordingly."  
"Yeah… this may be a bit awkward, seeing as we're in front of everyone who looks up to you, but I'll say it anyway. Here's the thing. I'm not going to have a punishment, because funnily enough, I killed your Grand Mage on Irish soil. So you can't really charge me with anything, if you think about it. So how about I go free and the Irish Sanctuary will punish me accordingly?" Tanith said.

"I'm afraid that's not how it works, Miss Low. So we're going to arrest you, and you can't do a think about it." Ode said, smirking slightly. Tanith smiled at him.  
"Well, if that's how you see it, that's cool. You are entitled to your own wrong opinion. But I am entitled to my own right opinion, so I'm getting out of here. Along with my friends, of course." She said. Ode looked around, but Skulduggery, Valkyrie and Ghastly were all gone. They suddenly appeared behind Tanith, taking down any mages that tried to stop them. Lunae and Amethyst were also there. Amethyst was holding an all too familiar orb, which she twisted. They were enveloped inside a bubble, which made them invisible to the naked eye. Ode's face was red with anger, and he ordered all of his agents to scour the building and the streets for them. They were to kill upon capture.

A/N: So that's it, the next chapter will include their escape from England, and how the English Sanctuary reacts to this. Please review!

*Do not read on if you have not read Maleficent Seven or LSODM, as it will contain spoilers.*

I just want to clear up the whole, Ode thing. I know he dies, but my fanfic is based after Kingdom of the Wicked and before Maleficent Seven, besides the fact that Saracen Rue was introduced on Maleficent Seven. So I hope that cleared things up for you guys! Thanks for reading.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: It's the Christmas Holidays for me now, so I'm going to be able to post lots and lots (hopefully) over about 2 weeks! Yay!

Thanks to **Guest **who reviewed my last chapter.

And thanks to **Belladonna Mysterium** for proofreading this chapter and changing a few things, it is very well appreciated!

They pressed themselves against the wall as mage after mage came pouring out of the Trial Room. A couple of times people were pushed up against them, but thankfully they were too busy to notice. Once the flow of sorcerers had ceased, they found their way through the winding corridors of the English Sanctuary. This was a task and a half, as they had to move very slowly to make sure everyone stayed inside the bubble, and they were side tracked by Sanctuary officials running down the corridors. They finally reached the front doors, but to their dismay, three or four officials were standing right in the centre of the doorway. There was no way a group as large as their own was going to get by unnoticed. The turned on their heels and made the long journey back through the Sanctuary. Thankfully, Tanith, Lune and Amethyst still remembered a lot of the ways so it made it easier. Not to mention the use of a few secret passageways Lunae and Amethyst had found whilst working there. They soon found themselves outside yet another secret passageway that Lunae had claimed was an exit to the Sanctuary.

"This is the most dangerous of all the exits. Once used it cannot be used again, as the way is treacherous." Lunae warned them. "They will be guarding all other possible exits, so this is our only way out, however life-threatening it may be."  
"Why isn't this one being guarded?" Valkyrie asked, looking around the corridor in case somebody was there. Whilst the bubble kept them invisible, it did not keep sound from escaping.  
"They think we're not foolish enough to take this path." Skulduggery said, and Amethyst nodded.  
"Well then clearly they don't know Skulduggery Pleasant!" Ghastly joked, making everyone laugh.

Amethyst turned off the cloaking sphere and put it into her pocket quickly. They were now vulnerable, so they had to move fast. "Okay, so through here there is a long tunnel, and it will implode on itself. Hopefully we will reach the end before that happens. I'm pretty sure that we have enough time." She said, opening up the passageway. For some reason, Amethyst's words didn't give the group a lot of confidence. The door to the passage way opened fully, and they all went inside. The sound of a clock chiming could be heard, and they all broke into a sprint. It was cramped, so their running was awkward and uncomfortable. They ran for what felt like hours, but it couldn't have been. They had only counted eight tolls of the bell, they had little time left. Once there is a tenth chime, the tunnel will implode. Lunae spotted a dot of light in the distance, and she managed to gasp, "We're-almost-there!" The six of them picked up their speed, and the dot of light got bigger and bigger, until it was a proper opening. Skulduggery was the first to pelt out of the tunnel, out into the open. Lunae followed suit, then Valkyrie, Amethyst and Ghastly. Tanith was the last one to leap from the tunnel, before the last toll chimed and the passageway imploded. The ground shook and rocks fell in front of the mouth of the tunnel. Dust sprayed out, and they breathed a collective sigh of relief.

They looked around, and they saw that they were on a small stretch of grass. Luckily the area was deserted, nobody had seen a thing. They moved and crouched behind a collection of bushes and brambles. "So what's the plan now?" Tanith asked. Lunae and Amethyst looked at each other.

"We want to find our family. We need to see that they are alright. It won't take long, we promise." Amethyst said.  
"You lead the way." Skulduggery said, checking his revolver was secure in its holster.  
"We're going to have to go by the roof tops, people are less likely to be there." Lunae said.

/X/

Tanith leapt up and grabbed a gutter, hauling herself over the edge of the roof and onto the tiles. She grabbed Amethyst's arm and pulled her up, and they both helped Lunae up. Ghastly, Valkyrie and Skulduggery used their Elemental powers to make the wind buffer them up. Lunae and Amethyst lead the way, running across the roofs in a half crouch position. They could not afford to be seen; it would cost them time, and maybe their lives.

After a while they came to an apartment and stopped. "Right, this is where they live. They are three floors down and two balconies across from her, so follow us." Lunae said, dropping down to the edge of the roof and climbing down the gutter pipe. She grunted with effort and they all followed her down until they dropped onto a balcony. Lunae motioned that they had to jump across to the next balcony. She balanced on the edge of the balcony and leapt across to the next one. She did it once more and stopped at the balcony doors. Everyone joined her and the balcony soon became ridiculously cramped. Tanith put her hand over the lock on the balcony doors, but she found that it didn't need to be unlocked. She slid the doors open, and pushed the curtains aside.

A terrible sight met their eyes.

Four dead bodies lay on the ground, along with the mangled corpse of a cat. Their throats had been cut, and oozing pools of crimson was drying on the wooden floor. The cat had all of its fur ripped out, and its limbs were splayed out at odd angles. Amethyst stared at the mess before her, her heart pounding, her brain failing to process it all. Lunae's jaw was clenched, along with her fists. Skulduggery stepped around them, and studied the bodies. Valkyrie had her hand clapped to her mouth, her eyes wide. Ghastly and Tanith stood there looking awkward, not sure what to do. "They were Sanctuary agents. English mages." Lunae said quietly, gesturing to the bodies clad in suits. "And they… they were our… our parents. And our cat, Misty." He throat was tight, tears were threatening to spill. A few tears had already dribbled down Amethyst's face, her eyebrows knitted together in sadness and confusion.

A clattering came from another room and everybody tore their eyes away from the slaughter and looked towards the door of the room. Another clatter echoed around the apartment, and Skulduggery carefully stepped towards the room. The distraction of the corpses had made them not realise that the apartment had been completely ransacked. There was broken glass and china all over the floor, cupboards were open and anything valuable had been taken. They followed Skulduggery through the debris, and waited by the door. The clattering stopped, only to be replaced with the sound of the opening and closing of a drawer. Then the sound of the zipping up of a bag. Footsteps came closer and closer the door and Skulduggery motioned everyone to move as he got his revolver out. The door opened, and a short man with very short, almost shaved hair came out of the bedroom. Skulduggery stepped forward and smacked the butt of his gun onto the nape of the man's neck, knocking him out. He had blood on his clothes, shoes, hands and face. His face then had Lunae's foot on it as well. They tied him to a chair, and put tape over his mouth.

Amethyst sat at the kitchen table and shifted some pieces of broken glass from a vase to reveal a letter. "Lunae… look what I found." She said quietly. Lunae walked over to her sister and sat down at the kitchen table with her. "It was under the vase, where mom always hid the letter as to where Father Christmas had hidden our presents." She said sadly. She opened up the letter and read it out loud.

_To our lovely daughters, Amethyst and Lunae,_

_We know you are going to come looking for us, as we know the Sanctuary are after us. Do not worry, we are going away. Where, we cannot say, in case this letter falls into the wrong hands. Even so, please burn the letter once read. _

_We love you both very much, and hope we can see each other again. Enjoy your lives to their fullest extent; we want you both to be happy. Try to stay safe, and out of the hands of the Sanctuary. By the time you read this, we will probably be far away. But nonetheless, you will stay in our hearts._

_Lots of love, from Mom and Dad xxx_

Despite wanting to be strong, Lunae had joined Amethyst in crying. She knew her parents would die eventually, but nothing had prepared her for the harsh reality now. The fact that they had been killed in cold blood just made it harder to bear, and soon she found herself heaving with sobs. She took Amethyst into her arms and they cried together.

_By the time you read this, we will probably be far away._

And it was sad how brutally true this was.

They organised their parent's bodies nicely, and laid their cat at their parent's feet. Amethyst reluctantly put the letter down too. They put the bodies of the Sanctuary agents next to the unconscious form of the murderer and Skulduggery slopped gasoline all over the apartment. Lunae and Amethyst wanted to make sure that nobody else would see their parents in this way, or steal anymore of their belongings. Other than the objects that had sentimental value, they had left everything to burn. They had mostly taken photos of them and their parents, or other family members. Amethyst could recall their father saying that he wanted a Viking burial; and as they didn't have a boat to burn him on, their apartment would have to do. At least he was going to burn with his treasure, as his wife was laid next to him, her hand in his. They left through the front door, but before they left properly, Lunae made a flame in her hand, and cast it onto the gasoline covered floor. Flames sparked up in front of her, making her eyes reflect them for a moment before she turned and left, shutting the door behind her.

They made it to outside the block of apartments before the windows from their parent's apartment exploded, and glass shattered everywhere. Smoke billowed out of the open windows, and people poured from the apartment and surrounding buildings to check out all of the commotion. A fire engine soon appeared, flashing its lights and blaring the sound of the siren out for all to hear. Lunae didn't much care for anyone who got hurt in that fire and neither did Amethyst. All they cared about was that their parents we safe now, and that the murderer was burned alive.

They couldn't help it; revenge is a sweet, sweet thing.

A/N: Well. There's something sentimental for you. Because that's always nice to read, isn't it? Yeah.

Please review!


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Okay. When I said I would post lots over the holiday, I did say _hopefully_. Unfortunately I've been busy, and a bit lazy I guess… (I also had a bit of writers block) But seeing as it was "Christmas week" last week, I've been enjoying myself with family and friends. I hope everyone had an awesome Christmas! And it's also the New Year, so Happy New Year!  
I hope everyone who knows there is the first episode of Sherlock Series 3 on tonight, is going to watch it! (P.S. It's on at 9, in case you didn't know.)

One other thing, I think I have come up with an appropriate name for my fanfic, which I shall change once I put up my next chapter. The name is: Will it be peace?

Please tell me if this is a good name or not!

Thanks to **Illiterate Cookie** for reviewing my previous chapter!

Lunae walked way ahead of the rest of the group, leaving a stony silence behind them. Nobody had said a word since the fiasco at the apartments, as there was nothing to say. The sisters were upset and disgusted, and everyone else just felt awkward. They didn't even speak to each other on where they were going, but that was about to change.

They had made their way by train all the way to the coast, as they knew that English mages would be at every exit to England. They were stuck at the very edge of England, with nowhere to go. He really didn't want to, but Skulduggery had to break the silence.  
"We can't just stand here waiting to be caught." He said.  
Everyone turned to him, and Ghastly said, "Where are we supposed to go? No doubt they have every exit to England heavily guarded."  
"I know," Skulduggery replied, "But there must be something they missed."  
"There's a run-down harbour not far from here." Tanith said, "I'm sure there would be someone there oblivious enough to help us."

So it was agreed, they would go to the harbour and ask if anyone could help them. If they said no… well, they could always make them by force.

Upon reaching the harbour, they saw an unfortunate sight before them. Mages. Of course they would be at the harbour. They hid behind an old rusty boat that had been pulled onto shore. The place was teeming with mages-the group had no idea what to do. They were too out-numbered to win if they started a fight. As they whispered frantically to each other, Valkyrie looked up and noticed a hooded figure approach a mage. The mage had his back to the figure, oblivious to what was about to happen. The figure pulled a small, sharp blade from within the folds of its cloak and snuck its arm around the mages neck. Before he could cry out in alarm, his throat was cut, and he was falling to the floor. Valkyrie stared in awe at the situation, wondering why this mysterious person was helping them. As the hooded figure approached the next guard, she grabbed the attention of the group, and they all watched. The person cut down mage after mage, until there was no-one left except them. The figure walked slowly towards where they were hiding. Had they known they were there the whole time? Were they to be killed next?

"There is no need to hide anymore." The figure said, and judging by the pitch of their voice, Valkyrie guessed it was a man. They all stood, their legs cramped from crouching for so long. "Why did you help us?" Skulduggery said, jumping straight to the point as usual.  
"That's his way of saying thanks." Valkyrie said, smiling at the man. He didn't answer Skulduggery's question, he simply said, "Follow me," and walked off. They looked at each other, then Ghastly shrugged and began to follow the mysterious man. He led them to a speed boat, and gestured for them all to get on, which they did. In silence, they rode towards the horizon, until no land could be seen. After a while, a green buoy could be seen, bobbing in the small waves. The man slowed down the boat, until they had pulled up next to it. The man leaned across the side of the boat, and fitted a small key into the top of the buoy. The top flipped open to reveal a big red button, which he pressed. Nothing appeared to happen, however the man turned to them. "You might want to hold your breath." He said. Then the bottom of the boat opened, except the part the man was standing on, and they were plunged into the icy cold sea.

They looked around frantically, there was no-where to go. Had the man just ditched them? Skulduggery motioned to the sea bed, and everyone looked down to see an opening. They swam down, into a glass capsule, and Ghastly hit a button which read "DRAIN". Everybody's lungs were burning from lack of oxygen, all except Skulduggery, who everyone hated right then. Once a lot of the water had drained away, and it was at neck-level, the air was filled with sounds of gasping and coughing. Soon enough, the doors to the capsule opened, and a damp corridor was revealed to them. Skulduggery put a hand to the top of his head, and sighed when it met bone. He had lost his hat. "I'll make you a new one." Ghastly said, laying a hand on his friends shoulder.

They walked quietly and carefully through the damp corridors, water occasionally dripping onto the cold stone floors. Amethyst shivered, a small spasm rippling through her body. "Someone is just around this corner." She whispered, trying to stop her teeth from chattering. Skulduggery nodded to her, and removed his revolver from its holster. Valkyrie didn't know whether it would still work, but at least they still had their magic. They rounded the next corner, and an empty corridor met their eyes. Amethyst frowned as everyone turned to look at her. "But… but I was _sure_ there was somebody there!" She exclaimed, rubbing her forehead lightly with her palm.

"You were right missy!" came a rasping voice. Everyone spun around, to see a spider about the size of Skulduggery's skull hanging in front of them from a silvery cord.

A/N: I know this was short, but I was determined to get at least _something_ done. We had visitors at my house, so they kept me from writing all afternoon… But soon I shall write the next bit!


End file.
